SPRINGFIELD – Current Puerto Rican birth certificates will now remain valid until Sept. 30, instead of the original July 1 date.

It is hoped the extension will provide a smoother transition for the millions of Puerto Rico-born citizens who will need new certificates, said Nicole Guillemard, executive director of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration.

The Puerto Rican government established the law in January in an effort to reduce fraud cases reported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said Puerto Rican secretary of state Kenneth McClintock Hernandez.

Forty percent of all identity thefts in the United States occur to citizens with Puerto Rican birth certificates, he said.

A Puerto Rican birth certificate can sell for between $5,000 and $10,000 on the black market. The birth certificates can be used to create false identities for driver’s licenses, passports and Social Security cards to obtain government benefits, McClintock Hernandez said.

The law applies to all Puerto Rico-born citizens.

“Puerto Rico is issuing new birth certificates starting July 1 to combat fraud and protect the identity and credit of all people born on the island,” Guillemard said. “Our goal with the three-month extension is to provide a smooth transition, especially to assist Puerto Ricans who currently reside stateside, as they apply for the new, more secure birth certificates.”

Citizens who do not have access to a computer or would like assistance filling out the form can stop by the New North Citizens Council at 2383 Main St.

“We have the forms in Spanish and English, and we help people fill them out if they cannot read or write,” said Jose Claudio, media relations director for the council.

When residents come to the council for other services they are informed about the certificate change, Claudio added.

“It’s an important document that they are going to need if they want a passport or just want to apply for benefits so we want people to fill them out,” he said. More than 1,000 people have already submitted their applications, Claudio added.

Concepcion Quinones de Longo, interim secretary of the Department of Health in Puerto Rico, said the law establishes that no public or private entity within the jurisdiction of Puerto Rico may retain an original copy of a Puerto Rico-issued birth certificate. Local agencies in Puerto Rico, as well as private employers, may request to inspect birth certificates and even copy them, but are not allowed to retain them, he said.

How to apply

As of Sept. 30, 2010 all birth certificates issued in Puerto Rico will be invalid. Here are details on obtaining new ones. Cost: $5 For more information: Call New North Citizens Council, 2383 Main St., Springfield, (413) 746-4885 Online: Visit www.prfaa.com for information in English and www.prfaa.com/certificadosdenacimiento for information in Spanish